« older | Main Largehearted Boy Page | newer »
February 13, 2023
Shorties (Charmaine Craig on Her New Novel, Caroline Polachek Profiled, and more)
Charmaine Graig discussed her novel My Nemesis with Shondaland.
As a parent of girls and an educator now, I have too often noticed the way that girls who don’t happen to be of the dominant ethnicity or culture are made to feel insufficiently assertive, as if a quiet voice or demeanor isn’t also having a voice. As if you need to raise your voice to have a voice, to be strong. In the book, I wanted to explore how Tessa’s allegiance to certain notions — about what strength looks like — risks being intolerant. Even her ideas about feminism have a certain strain of misogyny, or at least of anti-femininity.
Vulture profiled singer-songwriter Caroline Polachek.
Polachek, 37, has spent nearly two decades in the music industry, seamlessly shifting from early-aughts indie-band girl (she co-headlined Chairlift, a quirky synth-pop band we both agree could have existed only during the brief, naïve hopefulness of the Obama era) to esteemed songwriter and producer (she co-wrote Beyoncé’s “No Angel” as well as songs for Charli XCX, Travis Scott, and Pentatonix spinoff Superfruit) to concept-album artist (one-off experimental ambient releases under the aliases Ramona Lisa and CEP) to a solo artist writing and producing avant-garde electro-pop under her government name, all while singing arias and starring in Loewe campaigns on the side.
Molly Tuttle shared a bluegrass cover of Olivia Rodrigo’s “Good 4 U.”
Shondaland interviewed author DK Nnuro.
All Songs Considered and Pitchfork recommended the week's best new albums.
BuzzFeed recommended science fiction novels by Black authors.
Bandcamp Daily profiled the band Young Fathers.
The group has certainly put in the hours to get here. Massaquoi and Kayus Bankole were both attending the same Edinburgh high school and met Hastings while they were all still in their teens. They started gigging in 2008, and released two mixtapes in 2012—winning the Scottish Album of the Year award for the second, then bagging the UK Mercury Prize for their first album Dead in 2014. Co-signs from everyone from David Byrne, Janelle Monae, and Massive Attack followed. “People who got it really got it,” says Massaquoi, “but to a lot of others, we just don’t make sense—at least until they see one of our shows…”
Sadie Stein recommended books for Valentine's Day at the New York Times.
PopMatters shared an excerpt from Andrew Simon’s book Media of the Masses: Cassette Culture in Modern Egypt.
Authors recommended romantic comedy novels at the Guardian.
Andy Shauf detailed the influences behind every song on is new album at Stereogum.
Jennifer Wilson explored dating apps in novels at the New York Times.
Stream a new song by the Hold Steady.
The Guardian interviewed author Amy Bloom.
Oldster interviewed author Gayle Brandeis.
Boss Fight Books is crowdfunding its next group of books about classic video games.
Ned Beauman talked books and reading with the Guardian.
I can’t remember a time before I wanted to be a writer, but The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon was the book that crystallised what kind of writer I wanted to be. Unfortunately I am now about the age Chabon was when he wrote it, and I definitely can’t do any of the things he did in it, so this gives me no pleasure to recollect.
If you appreciate the work that goes into Largehearted Boy, please consider making a donation.
